Dandadan: First Encounter

This release gathers the first three chapters of the Dandadan television anime, adapted from Yukinobu Tatsu's manga, into a single cinema cut. It functioned as an advance look at the series before its October streaming bow. Animation duties fell to Science Saru, and Fuga Yamashiro took the director's chair. Those attending the premiere also received a bonus interview reel featuring Tatsu, his editor Shihei Lin, the director, plus the Japanese leads Shion Wakayama, who voices Momo, and Natsuki Hanae, who voices Okarun.

Mainichi Broadcasting System steered the worldwide rollout, partnering with GKIDS across North America while Muse Communication covered Southeast Asia. Release dates were staggered, reaching Asia on August 31, 2024, Europe on September 7, and North America on September 13.

The plot tracks Momo, a teenage girl from a lineage of spirit mediums, and Okarun, a classmate hooked on the occult. They begin speaking after she rescues him from a bullying, only to fall into an argument: she trusts in ghosts yet rejects aliens, whereas he swears by aliens but waves off ghosts. Hoping to convert each other, Momo visits a derelict hospital famous for UFO sightings while Okarun explores a tunnel reputed to be haunted. At both sites they run headlong into overwhelming paranormal activity beyond all reason. Caught in the turmoil, Momo awakens a buried power and Okarun inherits the strength of a curse, and a fated romance begins to bloom between them.

Critical response skewed positive and the picture pulled in over one million dollars around the world. Through October 4, 2024, the American gross sat near 1.05 million dollars spread across 613 screens. Its debut episode had already played to crowds at New York's Anime NYC and at Anime Expo over in Los Angeles, before GKIDS staged limited event showings ahead of the wider theatrical push. Sharing its release slot with Kneecap and The Critic, the movie took roughly 926 thousand dollars in its first weekend.